This invention relates to the formation of decorative links used to form jewelry chains.
One of the objectives of jewelry chain manufacturers is to make chains which are light yet highly reflective of ambient light to make the chains more attractive. Making jewelry lighter reduces the cost yet providing enhanced visual reflective effects enhances the value. An object of this invention is to provide enhanced value for less cost.
The formation of links used in jewelry chains is an art that has existed for many, many years. Generally, links for chains are formed of regular polygonal or round structures, and such links when individually formed, usually are formed with gaps to permit intertwining of the links to form the jewelry chain.
Additionally, the manufacturing process for individual links is an important aspect of the jewelry chain process. It is preferable to provide manufacturing techniques which are simple to execute, inexpensive to perform and which provide highly desirable accurate and repetitive jewelry chain links with minimal scrap and waste.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved link for chain jewelry.
Another object is to provide such a link which when utilized to form a chain provides highly enhanced reflective qualities.
Still another object of this invention is to provide such links which are hollow, lightweight and generally inexpensive.
Another object of this invention is to provide a technique for manufacturing such links which is easily able to be modified to adjust the formation of said links to various desired aesthetic looks.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a manufacturing technique which will be reliable, efficient and able to be performed by low skilled employees.
Still another object of this invention is to provide such a manufacturing technique which is readily adaptable to meet a variety of manufacturing needs.
Other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become more apparent from the following description.
In accordance with the above objects, a link formed in accordance with the teachings of this invention has an outer peripheral edge, an inner peripheral edge, and sides between the peripheral edges. In accordance with the principles of this invention, the sides of the links are faceted to provide at least two faceted surfaces on a side. By faceting the surfaces on the sides of the links, the reflective qualities of the ultimate chain assembled using such links will be enhanced.
Additionally, each link, preferably, may be formed with the sides tapered inwardly from the outer peripheral edge to the inner peripheral edge so as to further enhance the reflective quality by providing slanted side edges. Single or double slanted side edges may be provided with the slant of each towards each other being equal, different or any desired variation. The sides could also be slanted outwardly rounded to take on any other configuration achievable with sculpting the side surfaces. Additionally, the link can be formed as a regular polygon, with a faceted surface for each segment of the polygon. For instance, if the link is eight sided, in accordance with this invention, eight facets may be provided on each side corresponding to the eight segments of the octagon shaped link. Additionally, the faceting along the sides can be co-extensive with the segments, overlap the segments, or be any variation thereof.
In accordance with a feature of this invention, forming the faceted surface on the sides may be accomplished by utilizing apparatus described in a prior patent application of the same inventor, Ser. No. 09/779,774, filed Mar. 8, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference.